19th Annual meeting of Brahmacharya Ashram was held under the chairmanship of Rabindranath. He delivered a lecture on the System of Education that should be implemented in our Country. After the end of the meeting on 8th Paush,1325 ( 23rd Dec 1918) - in the open space behind the rooms of the Children's Section the foundation Stone of Viswa Bharati was laid down . Many Vedic rituals were held. A whole was dug for laying down the foundationThe sacred hymns were read and unboiled rice, water of the Ganges, Kush flower etc were thrown in the hole. The males and females from different countries, present as a representatives of their own country on the occasion, had put on eath in the hole. It was revealed from the writings of Sita Devi that Mrs Fering of Denmark ( Danish) . Rathindranath wrote in his diary;" At thePaus Utsab this year many people from the other provinces of India had come. On the8th of Paus foundation Stone of Viswavidyalaya was laid before this assembly after father had explained in a short lecture the aims and purposes of this institution. This lecture has been printed in a pamplet form for distribution. About ten thousand rupees of donation was promised on the spot.
In the journal "Santiniketan" an essay titled Viswa Bharati was published in Baishakh issueof 1326. Rabindranath wrote;
" The fire-work ceremony of the Brightness of Knowledge is going on in the human world. Every nation has kindled the flame of its own brightly, the ceremony will be a great success. it has been already proved that India with its mental stength has observed deeply the problems of the world and tried to solve in its own way. This teaching is true to our ideal if we can find the truth in our own way and can solve in our own way. The repitation of a system is not really a good system because it is mechanical and not inventory.
That institution is a real one where research works are beeing organized. The primary task of education is to find out new avenues and the secondory one is to supply with the lessons.We are to invite those talents which can generate new ways of solutions. If they work unitedly in an Institution that institution will fkourish very soon. By simply copying a foreign university, it will not help anything.
In every country there is close relation between its education and its all round life style. Our new Universities are not standing on the land of our country It is of no use to climb on the other tree as a parasite.To establish truly a University, it should have its own department Economics, Agriculture, Phisiology, and all the laboratory based subjects wiyhin its own field......
I propose to this type of institution as an University."
From the very begining Rabindranath tried to implement these ideals in Brahmacharyasram.
He had also tried to implement this ideal plan in Sriniketan.
After a few months Rathindraqnath wrote to Seymour the details of this plan ietter dated 17th April, 1919;
Last year was a busy one for us at the school. Ideas for its expansion in different directions have developed very rapidly. it was merely a school upto this time - it is going to be a much bigger thing in the future. Bigger not in Buildings,gymnasiums, and playgrounds - but bigger ntre of gher education and culture. the school will be only a part of a more comprehensive s of education covering all the activities of our life , in fact a true University - exactly in European snse -but more like what we had in ancient Nalanda, an educational colony which will be in direct touch wiyh all the requirements of the modern man. re we are going to have colonies of teachers tudents from every province of India and though each will retain their own individuality and learn to respect each other's individual differencesthet will all be brought an atmosphere we idel of life be held far above any feeling of the sect mmunity, or narrow nationality. Here the intellectual life of the community will run parallelsocial and the material."
Next, he explained his father's economic plan project;
" The economic activities will be just as much a means of education as in the lectures in the classroom. Music and art will have important place in the programme. ethod of education will be uite different from that followed in our present day Universities, specially in India. ery important branch of learning there will be one or two teachers who by the merit of their earch work ttract students to live with them and hile learning help in carrying out the work engaged in . We have already got chairs in Budhist and Jaina Philosophy, in Sanskritin the modern languages of India. Nanda lal Bose is coming from the next session to start the nucleus of a National school of Art. A technical department has been opened with mechanical and electrical workshopsinting and a weavering school.is being acquired tart a farm. A co-operative store has been organised, and soon a co-operative Rice mill and will follow."
From the past experience they followed the path of go slow technique.
Though the foundation stone was laid, it took some time to actually functioning the University.
